By Hélène Fouquet (NYT)

Published: December 15, 2004

Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss-born philosophy professor and author of books on Islam, has resigned his teaching post at the University of Notre Dame after failing to receive a visa from the United States. In August, citing unspecified security concerns, the Department of Homeland Security revoked his visa and barred him from entering the country just days before he was to begin teaching. Mr. Ramadan, a grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, is a complicated figure who has avoided the militant language of many of Europe's mosque leaders but has been widely criticized, particularly in France, as a demagogue whose words have multiple meanings and are laced with anti-Semitism. He notified the university of his decision on Monday, citing stress. ''It was a hard decision to take,'' his wife, Iman, said in a telephone interview from Geneva. ''These times have been really hard for us. I don't know what tomorrow will bring.'' H?ne Fouquet (NYT)